A somewhat-regular sharing of the dialogue that God and I are having through Scripture, as pastor of Palmdale UMC (http://www.pumchurch.com/).

Monday, February 1, 2016

A blessed dichotomy

[From January 19, 2016]

"We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have over flowed in a wealth of generosity on their part."

(2 Corinthians 8:1-2)

People love to be around those who are generous. Initially, I'd venture, it's because we all like to be on the receiving end of generosity. Who doesn't?!? But a generous spirit is contagious... captivating... inspiring! When we spend significant time around generous people, we can't help but want to be generous, too.

The apostle Paul lived a life of generosity. He reflected the life of Jesus, whose very nature embodied generosity. In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul lifted up the church in Macedonia as another example of a generous lifestyle. Though he doesn't give details, he acknowledges they've been through a tough time... a "severe ordeal of affliction." And though they had little financially, they responded generously and with joy!

The three times I've been to the Philippines, I've been struck by this same dichotomy: extreme poverty (in some areas) surpassed only by their extreme joy... and generosity! They've taught me so much about what it means to be a Christian! I want to live into their example of faithfulness. And I want to help others live into that blessed dichotomy, too.

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SCRIPTURE JOURNALING

Some of the best "divine inspiration" can come when we read the Bible on a regular basis. A few years ago I discovered the gift of reading the Bible devotionally - reading not to "get through" a particular book or passage, but rather to listen for a word from God. I've come to call this scripture journaling.

The process is simple, and I like using the SOAP acronym:S - SCRIPTURE... record one verse (or portion of a verse) that God used to speak to you during your reading...

O - OBSERVATION... Make an observation about what this scripture seems to be saying about God, us, life, etc.

A - APPLICATION... How does this apply to your life personally? What insight does this give you? How will you be different today because of what you've just read?

P - PRAYER... Write a short prayer as a response to God for what has just been revealed to you through scripture.

It's as simple as that! You can find the reading plan that we use at Palmdale UMC on our website (http://pumchurch.com/im-new/scripture-journaling)... but you can do this with any reading plan. The main point is finding time to spend with God through the life-giving power of the Bible! My daily blog entries come directly from my own scripture journaling. I hope it may encourage you to start this life-changing practice!

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About Me

I'm the pastor of Palmdale United Methodist Church in the Antelope Valley of California. I began serving this congregation in July 2015. I graduated from Waiakea High School on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1986... received my undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Hawaii ('90)... and my MDiv from Drew Theological School ('94). I've served 3 UMC congregations in Hawaii before coming to California.
You can listen to and read my sermons on our church website (www.pumchurch.com) - click on sermons...